Qorvis

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Qorvis is 'one of Washington's best-known lobbying and public relations firms'.[1]

Activities

In March 2011 The Huffington Post reported that "in the last two months, more than a third of the partners at Qorvis have left the firm to start their own lobby shops, partly because of the firm's work on behalf of such clients as Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea, say former employees".[1]

Online Reputation Management

According to the Huffington Post:

One of the methods used by Qorvis and other firms is online reputation management -- through its 'Geo-Political Solutions' (GPS) division, the firm uses '"black arts" by creating fake blogs and websites that link back to positive content, "to make sure that no one online comes across the bad stuff," says [a] former insider. Other techniques include the use of social media, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.[1]

Highlighting Middle Eastern countries sovereign rights to manage dissent

In 2011 Qorvis helped frame the kingdom's crackdown on protests by highlighting statements made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in which she emphasized America's commitment to Bahrain and affirmed its "sovereign right" to invite security forces from other countries. Clinton's comment that the government is "on the wrong track," however, was omitted, notes the Sunlight Foundation's Paul Blumenthal.[1]

Promoting the Saudis' shared values post 9/11

Saudi Arabia entered into a $14 million a year contract with Qorvis shortly after 9/11 to clean up its image. Qorvis's PR blitz "helped reduce the number of anti-Saudi articles and speeches"... "which allowed the Bush administration to keep ties to the kingdom close", says Kevin McCauley, editor of O'Dwyer's Public Relations, the leading PR trade publication in the US.

Qorvis launched a TV campaign with ads on political talk shows featuring a procession of Saudi royals appearing alongside U.S. presidents, to highlight Riyadh as a close ally. Other TV spots, which ran in 14 American cities, touted the "shared values" of the United States and Saudi Arabia. The firm also shuttled Saudi officials on whirlwind tours of major media outlets, and broadcast ads promoting the 9/11 Commission finding that there was "no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded [Al Qaeda]"—while omitting the report's conclusion that "Saudi Arabia has been a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism." "[2]

Views

Affiliations

People

Partners

Senior Consultants

Managing Directors

Jennifer Baskerville | Carrie Blewitt | Lisa Bushey | Cassie Elliot | Jennifer Haber | Karen Hanretty | Michael Hillegass | W. John Moore | Stefan Nagey | Seth Thomas Pietras [3]

Clients

Sovereign/International

Defense/Government Contractors

Energy

Health care

Consumer

Associations

Publications, Contact, Resources and Notes

Publications

Contact

Address:
Phone:
Email:
Website:

Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Marcus Baram,Lobbyists Jump Ship In Wake Of Mideast Unrest, accessed 28 March 2011
  2. ↑ Putting Lipstick on a Dictator. 2007-05-07.  Mother Jones
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 People, Qorvis website, accessed 28 March 2011
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Qorvis, Case Studies, accessed 30 March 2011
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